Good morning, dealmakers. Thank goodness it’s Friday! It’s Obey Martin Manayiti here with a deal-packed Wire. Earlier this morning, I was the first to report that Morgan Stanely Capital Partners’ backed Alliance Technical Group is acquiring four add-ons focused on environmental labs. The deals are fueled by increased demand for environmental testing services. A rise in pharmaceutical R&D spend and increasing clinical trial complexity are driving private equity interest in contract research organizations. We’re capping off the week with my roundup of 10 deals in the space. I’ve also got some analysis on PE interest in CROs from Paul Hepper, a managing director in Harris Williams’ healthcare and life sciences group. Lab work As demand for environmental and regulatory-driven quality-testing services extends from air-monitoring to other areas such as soil, water and waste, Morgan Stanley Capital Partners-backed Alliance Technical Group is buying four add-ons around environmental labs. Subscribers to the premium version of the Wire may learn all about MSCP’s strategy. Clinical trials Clinical research is increasingly catching the interest of private equity investors. In this story, I rounded up 10 deals focusing on clinical trials. Premium subscribers will learn which PE firms are investing in the sector and they’ll read my interview with Paul Hepper, a managing director in Harris Williams’ healthcare and life sciences group. That’s it for this week. As always, you can reach me at obey.m@pei.group. MK Flynn will be back with the newsletter on Monday. Have a nice weekend, Obey Read the full wire commentary on PE Hub ... | 